The present invention relates to video displays, and more particularly to a transition status display for a video switcher to provide a visual synopsis to an operator of the next transition to be performed by the video switcher.
In the television world various video input sources provide picture images for input to a video switcher which then switches to the output for transmission or recording one of the picture images from a selected one of the input sources. The switching may be done manually in real time by an operator, but is more efficiently done by programming the switcher to perform several transitions automatically in a specific sequence with a predetermined type of transition. Transition types include cuts, fades, mixes and combinations thereof. Video input sources include cameras, receivers and video recorders. For example it may be desired to have a scene from a studio off a camera, then switch to a remote satellite feed, and then switch to a video recorder; or it may be desired to switch between several video recorders such as recorders containing program material and recorders containing commercial material. For a Master Control Switcher Model 1600-4S manufactured by the Grass Valley Group, Inc. of Grass Valley, Calif. this entails setting a lot of buttons and storing a lot of parameters for recall. It is desirable for the operator to be aware of upcoming transitions in the event that changes are required so that the operator may interrupt the automatic operation of the switcher to smoothly make the transition changes without any apparent visual discrepancies to a viewer. Although the information is available by reviewing all the button statuses and other displays on the switcher, it would be more convenient for the operator to have the necessary information summarized in a single, readable display. This is especially important during editing of program material.